Whisperin' Bluegrass

Whisperin' Bluegrass is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on October 23, 2007 via Madacy Entertainment and was produced by Steve Ivey. The project was Anderson's 41st studio recording in his career and his first album containing bluegrass music. A total of 16 tracks were included on the project, many of which were covers of songs previously recorded by others. It received positive reviews upon its release.

Whisperin' Bluegrass
Studio album by Bill Anderson
Released	October 23, 2007
Studio	IMI Studio
Genre	Country bluegrass[1]
Length	54:14
Label	Madacy
Producer	Steve Ivey
Bill Anderson chronology
The Way I Feel (2005) Whisperin' Bluegrass (2007) Songwriter (2010)

Background and content

Whisperin' Bluegrass began as a project to bring back a more traditional style of country music. According to Anderson, bluegrass reminded him of the more traditional country he grew up listening to. "A lot of these young kids are learning to play guitars and mandolins. They’re bringing a whole new interest to the genre. Mainstream country music has drifted pretty far from the shore, and bluegrass music is somewhat of an alternative," Anderson commented.[1] Whisperin' Bluegrass was recorded at the IMI Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was produced by Steve Ivey, making the album Anderson's first to be produced by Ivey.[2]

The album was a collection of 16 tracks.[3] Half of the songs recorded for project were cover versions of hymns first recorded in a gospel style.[4] Eight of the other tracks were written by Anderson.[5] Several of the album's tracks were duets Anderson recorded with other country artists. Duets are included with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Jon Randall.[6] Jan Howard was another featured duet partner on the project. Howard was Anderson's longtime collaborator during his years recording for Decca Records.[4]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Augusta Chronicle	Favorable
CMT	Favorable
Country Standard Time	Favorable

Whisperin' Bluegrass was released on October 23, 2007 on the Madacy Entertainment label. It was issued as a compact disc and a music download.[2][7] The album did not chart on any publication at the time of its release, including Billboard.[8]

The album received positive reviews upon its original release. C. Eric Banister of Country Standard Time gave the effort a favorable response in 2007, highlighting the album's three new tracks and his vocal duets.[4] Chet Flippo of Country Music Television called Whisperin' Bluegrass "a terrific album of country and gospel songs done up with bluegrass instrumentation."[6] Don Rhodes of The Augusta Chronicle also gave the album critical acclaim. Rhodes noted that the project's instrumentation was "perfection" and the voices on the record were "so pure" and "so real". "The songs are some of the best in country, bluegrass and gospel music," Rhodes concluded.[5]

Track listing

Whisperin' Bluegrass (2007)[7][2]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Slippin' Away" (featuring Vince Gill)	Bill Anderson	2:35
2.	"My Perfect Reason" (featuring Dolly Parton)	Anderson Clint Daniels	4:09
3.	"I've Got a Thing About a Five String"	Anderson	5:04
4.	"The Cold Hard Facts of Life"	Anderson	3:47
5.	"Everything I Want (And Not a Thing a I Need)" (featuring Jon Randall)	Anderson Randall	3:13
6.	"Give It Away"	Anderson Buddy Cannon Jamey Johnson	3:22
7.	"I Never Once Stopped Loving You"	Anderson Jan Howard	3:22
8.	"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" (featuring Willie Nelson)	Anderson	3:18
9.	"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" (featuring Jan Howard)	Traditional	3:29
10.	"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"	Elisha Hoffman Anthony J. Showalter	2:56
11.	"I'll Be Somewhere Listening"	Traditional	3:30
12.	"In the Garden"	C. Austin Miles	3:48
13.	"Using My Bible for a Roadmap"	Traditional	2:24
14.	"I Love to Tell the Story"	Katherine Hankey	3:25
15.	"If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again"	John Whitfield "Whit" Vaughan	2:49
16.	"Amazing Grace"	Traditional	3:03
Total length:			54:14

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Whisperin' Bluegrass and Allmusic.[2][9]

Musical personnel

• Bill Anderson – lead vocals
• Charlie Chadwick – upright bass
• Vince Gill – guest artist
• Jan Howard – guest artist
• Rob Ickes – dobro
• Steve Ivey – background vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano
• Andy Leftwich – fiddle, mandolin
• Willie Nelson – guest artist
• Dolly Parton – guest artist
• Jon Randall – guest artist
• Keith Sewell – background vocals
• Lester Earl Singer – acoustic guitar
• Mike Toppins – acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro

Technical personnel

• Steve Ivey – engineering, mixing, producer
• Mike Toppins – production assistant

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	October 23, 2007	Compact disc music download	Madacy Entertainment	[2][7]

References

1. Lawless, John. "Bill Anderson talks bluegrass". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
2. Anderson, Bill (October 23, 2007). "Whisperin' Bluegrass (Liner Notes and Album Info)". Madacy Entertainment.
3. "Whisperin' Bluegrass: Bill Anderson: Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
4. Banister, C. Eric. "Bill Anderson – Whisperin' Bluegrass (2007)". Country Standard Time. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
5. Rhodes, Don. "Whisperin' Bill puts bluegrass twist to country, gospel songs". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
6. Flippo, Chet. "NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Joe Nichols Leads Highlights of 2007". Country Music Television. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
7. "Whisperin' Bluegrass by Bill Anderson on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
8. "Bill Anderson chart history: Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
9. "Whisperin' Bluegrass: Bill Anderson: Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved May 22, 2020.